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Summary:An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Soon enough, however, Carraway will see through the cracks of Gatsby's nouveau riche existence, where obsession, madness, and tragedy await.

Saw this when it opened. Had low expectations because of movie critics who obviously grew up in the wrong era. The quality of the book is revived perfectly; It's a period peace, but transcends period with its subtle hints of modern music and style. Every actor was perfectly cast. It's heavySaw this when it opened. Had low expectations because of movie critics who obviously grew up in the wrong era. The quality of the book is revived perfectly; It's a period peace, but transcends period with its subtle hints of modern music and style. Every actor was perfectly cast. It's heavy use of Art Deco (my favorite architectural style) fills the screen with beauty that reaches for the heavens, however unattainable they were and still are.
Gatsby looks to the past not with nostalgia, but with regret of what was and what will never be.

p.s. I am usually very anti-3d but this movies 3d really pulls you into the grandness of it all.…Expand

I don't ever give scores like these. But, this is indeed an exception.
It's not a movie for everybody, but nonetheless, everybody should see it at least once. It is a great movie, period.
Just go watch it and don't loose any more time, it's just Unique, and when you'll leave the seat, iI don't ever give scores like these. But, this is indeed an exception.
It's not a movie for everybody, but nonetheless, everybody should see it at least once. It is a great movie, period.
Just go watch it and don't loose any more time, it's just Unique, and when you'll leave the seat, i guarantee that you'll get out of there with your heart full.…Expand

Stunning movie. The music, vivid colors, amazing scenery, all combined
in such a beautiful fashion. The movie perfectly fit Gatsby's dream, it
felt so euphoric and dreamy, but at the same time so sensible and real.
An entertaining movie I'll definitely consider to re-watch when high.

Director Baz Luhrmann creates extravagant and exceptional cinematic imagery. The first 90 minutes of this 2:23 long movie bristle with electric energy: dazzling mise en scene, dynamic pacing and gorgeous cinematography. Once the dramatic conflict grabs hold, it slams to a stop and starts toDirector Baz Luhrmann creates extravagant and exceptional cinematic imagery. The first 90 minutes of this 2:23 long movie bristle with electric energy: dazzling mise en scene, dynamic pacing and gorgeous cinematography. Once the dramatic conflict grabs hold, it slams to a stop and starts to feel long. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a subdued, but nuanced performance in the title role. Tobey Maguire (Carraway) is appropriately bland and the ladies are lovely. The soundtrack, a mashup of 20s period, jazz, hip hop and R&B, is outstanding right thru the credits. This is a big, glamorous motion picture. A bit emotionally slight, but impressive to appreciate.…Expand

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I wish “The Great Gatsby” had opted to be either much more faithful or much less faithful to Fitzgerald's novel. As it was, the film’s fidelity, especially early on, made its ultimate departures dismaying--at least to this lover of both Fitzgerald's writing and Luhrmann's films. It was as though the director was perfectly happy to party with the novelist but didn’t want to endure the brutal clarity of his hangover. The worst offenders, for me, were the kinder, gentler Daisy and Tom. In the novel, though superficially charming, they are, at heart, cruel, greedy and self-obsessed; in the film, they are flawed but relatively sympathetic. And, to make that work, Luhrman makes Gatsby less sympathetic--and he makes Nick’s admiration for Gatsby deeply suspect. During the final showdown at the Plaza Hotel, for example, Luhrmann's Gatsby becomes physically violent, alarming Daisy, who then decides to leave him. In the novel, Gatsby's violence is limited to a fleeting facial expression, and Daisy's terror has multiple causes, not least the intrusion of real passions into her elaborate social game. In the film, right after Myrtle is killed, Tom points her vengeful husband at Gatsby, as the driver of the "death car." Perfectly understandable: Gatsby normally drives the car, and Tom is distraught over the death of his lover. In the novel, however, Tom fingers Gatsby the following day, AFTER learning that Gatsby is innocent and his own wife the killer. That's a whole 'nother level of depravity, and, for me, it's much more interesting than "he did it because he was grieving," a tired motive that appears on TV at least a hundred times per week. So what does Luhrman achieve by making Fitzgerald's characters more familiar and formulaic while preserving so much of Fitzgerald's language and plot? For one thing, he backs away from the idea that vast, unearned wealth can be corrupting, as can vast differences between the “haves” and the “have nots.” Moreover, from the moment he introduces Nick as a mental patient, he decides for us that Gatsby was more deluded fool than idealist, whereas Fitzgerald was careful to keep the two possibilities balanced. These, for me, are losses. While I have no problem with plot or character changes, generally--I loved Luhrmann’s tweaking of “Romeo and Juliet,” for instance--there has to be a payoff, and I don’t see one here, unless you count instant recognition as a virtue, which, I suppose, billions of McDonald’s customers do. Finally, a word about the film's music. When I heard Filter’s “Happy Together” in a preview, I got excited. After the mostly edgeless tunes and sappy baladeering of “Moulin Rouge,” I was ready for some thrilling music to accompany Luhrmann’s thrilling visuals. But thrills turned out to be in short supply. I liked Jay Z’s “$100 Bill” for the speakeasy scene, which was appropriately urban and decadent, but some of the other hip-hop tunes clashed badly with the anti-urban milieu of the Hamptons. The most egregious misfire, however, was Lana Del Ray’s “Young and Beautiful” as the theme song of Gatsby and Daisy’s renewed love. “Will you still love me when I’m no longer young and beautiful?” asks the song, over and over, a question utterly irrelevant to the reunion, after five years, of a man cherishing a beautiful illusion and a woman seeking diversion. I can only conclude that Luhrmann and his music director, Anton Monsted, think audiences don’t listen to song lyrics. I also question Monsted’s taste (he did “Moulin Rouge,” too), which I find too reliant on what is--or has been--at the top of the charts. He strikes me as a man who listens to popular radio and little else, making most of his musical choices obvious, boring, and ill-suited to their dramatic contexts. I’ve heard much better music on TV shows such as “The Sopranos,” “Life,” and “Sons of Anarchy,” and I wish Luhrmann would hire one of their music supervisors (or me) for his next film.…Expand

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I never had read the book but because of Dicaprio and Decki's birthday, I thought of giving this movie a try. But to my dismay, there was no character development at all. I mean no matter how hard did Maguire tried to elevate Dicaprio's status, it all remained flat and served no purpose. Even the writers didn't cared for showing Mulligan displaying any regret after DiCaprio's death. Where was the greatness in Gatsby? He could have run an orphanage inthe later half of the movie to show that: a) the movie and the book differ in each other. b) how really the movie ends in a satisfying note and surprise the audience that Gatsby was not materialistic after all.

The only positive part was the soundtrack and DiCaprio's romance in the cruise boat with Mulligan.…Expand

Here's my review: i am not going to see this even if it comes out on a $2 DVD sale at BigW. It reminds me of the movie Australia, overlong, boring and self indulgent, it assumes its own importance will draw me in. I haven't seen Australia either.